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Severe Drought Conditions Expand Across Southwest Florida

Posted at 4:46 PM, Mar 30, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-30 20:41:58-04

Severe drought conditions have spread westward into Charlotte, Lee and Collier Co. with the latest drought conditions update and there is likely no end in sight. Fort Myers is about 30-40% of normal rainfall for the year. Drought Index numbers across parts of SWFL are in the 600 range on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index which is a scale that goes up to 800, indicating extreme dryness. Since October 1, 2016, Parts of Lee County in the Ft. Myers are have only seen between 3 and 5" of rainfall. 

The wildfire threat will continue to be an issue for the near future, especially on days with low humidity and gusty winds. There are some indications we could see some decent rainfall coverage with a storm system later next week, with a couple of cold fronts passing through the area before that with minimal rain chances. 

Chief Meteorologist Derek Beasley